It'd be easy for the Buffalo Sabres to suffer a letdown. They've been the NHL's hottest team for nearly two months, securing 39 of a possible 46 points over their past 23 games, and they finally have a little breathing room in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Mattias Samuelsson, a resurgent 25-year-old defenseman who's been one of the biggest reasons for the Sabres' remarkable turnaround, sent a clear message as the Blue and Gold prepare to play their final handful of games before the NHL's break for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
"You've got to keep the foot on the gas for sure," Samuelsson told Matt Larkin of Daily Faceoff.
The blueliner, one of the club's alternate captains, recorded just 43 points (seven goals and 36 assists) in 212 appearances across his first five years in Buffalo. He could surpass that total this season, as he's racked up eight goals and 23 helpers for 31 points in 50 games.
"We are a younger group, I would say, with little to no playoff experience for a lot of guys, so obviously we get excited to put ourselves in this position," Samuelsson explained to Larkin. "But I think everyone knows, especially in the East this year, you lose a couple in a row and you can drop pretty far. Every game means so much, especially division games like this. There's confidence and belief in the group, but everyone is understanding there's a long way to go and a lot of games to be played."
The Sabres, who held an 11-14-4 record after a Dec. 8 loss to the Calgary Flames, now stand at 30-17-5 and own third place in the Atlantic Division with 30 games left to play.
Buffalo Sabres' Mattias Samuelsson builds strong case as the NHL's most improved player for the 2025-26 season
Samuelsson entered the campaign facing no shortage of criticism. He was struggling to live up to the seven-year contract extension he signed in 2022 because of an endless stream of injury problems and an unwillingness to stand up for teammates despite the 'A' on his sweater.
Everything has changed for the 6-foot-4 Pennsylvania native this season.
The 2018 second-round draft pick has played in 48 straight contests since a brief two-game absence in early October, he's elevated his offensive game to completely unexpected levels and he's remained a defensive cornerstone while on pace for a career-high 131 hits.
Samuelsson has also played a vital role on Buffalo's fifth-ranked penalty kill, which was one of the few bright spots that helped keep the team afloat amid the slow start.
Perhaps it shouldn't be a surprise that getting more consistency from the Western Michigan University product has led to better results for the Sabres as a whole.
"Since I've been here the last four or five years, I think one of our problems is riding the highs maybe a little too high and the lows a little too low," Samuelsson told Larkin. "It's a long year. Yeah, we've been winning a lot, so it's easy to be confident — I think just staying confident in our group has been a big thing for us. And you can sense that, if [our opponents] score the first goal, we are down in games, there's no panic. That's maybe a little bit different from years in the past. The maturity."
It's a great point. In the past, the opposing team scoring the game's first goal often felt like a death sentence for the Sabres, especially if they were mired in one of their numerous losing skids.
Last season, Buffalo finished with 14 comeback wins, the fourth-lowest total in the NHL, according to More Hockey Stats. It's already picked up 13 come-from-behind victories this season, which is tied for sixth in the league, and 37% of the schedule is still to come.
Meanwhile, few players have witnessed such a one-year leap as Samuelsson, who's tied for 10th among all players with a plus-27 rating.
The NHL doesn't have a formal Most Improved Player Award like other leagues, but you'd have to believe the Sabres defenseman would be a strong candidate alongside the likes of the Boston Bruins' Morgan Geekie and Anaheim Ducks' Cutter Gauthier, among others.
Samuelsson's performance has been particularly important since Buffalo has dealt with several injuries on the blue line, including extended absences for Michael Kesselring and Conor Timmins.
Add in embracing the leadership role, as further evidenced by his comments about the Sabres keeping their foot on the gas, and he also has an argument as club's most vital player this season.
If Samuelsson can keep it up for the remainder of the campaign, Buffalo should have a great chance to reach the playoffs, and maybe even make a little noise once they get there.